Bittersweet
by MidnightThief15
Summary: "I have to admit, Prince Zuko, I REALLY find you attractive." Katara declared. "I mean it, I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me." Zuko grinned at her. Zutara. Slight Kataang. HIATUS
1. The Ember Island Playups

**Takes place near the end of "The Ember Island Players."**

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**~x~The Ember Island Play-ups~x~**

As they walked along the beach toward Zuko's family's beach house, the entire gaang was laughing. They had decided to find the entire thing comical, like the rest of the audience did, but for different reasons. They thought that if they didn't laugh about it, then they would only sulk and be angry.

In fact, they were reciting bits and pieces of it over again with themselves before laughing about it again.

They had finally gotten to the part where Zuko and Katara were in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se.

"I have to admit, Prince Zuko," Katara declared with a firm blush on her cheeks and a grin as she walked up to Zuko's side, her hands dramatically on her chest to emphasize her point, "I _really_ find you attractive!"

Everyone laughed. Katara and Zuko's cheeks were painted crimson red, yet they laughed the hardest at how ridiculous it all was. Them? Together? Katara was embarrassed to be saying this, but she reminded herself that it was all just a bunch of nonsense that some person had come up with to put into a play. She didn't mean what she said, and everyone knew that. It was just too weird, but almost hilarious at the same time, to imagine. Well, almost everyone knew that she didn't mean it. No one noticed, however, when Aang didn't laugh and merely looked ahead in the dying light of the sunset, his shoulders slumped and a deep frown set upon his face.

Zuko grinned at her before saying his line and putting himself into "character." "You don't have to make fun of me!" Zuko shouted before crossing his arms and turning his head away from Katara as he pouted with a scowl on his face at the same time.

Sokka was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach and Suki had to hold onto him so that he wouldn't fall down.

"But I _mean_ it!" Katara said, running around in front of him to go to the side where his face was turned to so that she was in his line of sight. She had a melodramatic pleading look plastered on her face, and would have been a convincing ember island player, if not for gigantic grin that couldn't help but seep through at all times, even though she tried to hide it while she talked. "I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me." She widened her eyes as far as they would go to emphasize her point.

Zuko looked at Katara. He was a little ashamed of the day when he "first captured" her. He looked into her blue, blue eyes, and stopped grinning for a moment, and she looked into his golden eyes, confused at why he wasn't smiling anymore.

Aang was walking ahead of the rest of the group, his shoulders still slumped and his eyes and head still downcast. Water was beginning to slowly build up behind his eyes. He knew what part was coming next.

Zuko saw Aang out of his peripherals and looked back at Katara. He shook his head slightly from side to side at her, before indicating to Aang with a slight jerk of his head. It took Katara a couple of seconds before she realized it. Aang. She looked over at Aang's back and sobered down, a sad frown on her face. Aang liked her, and that was the main reason why he didn't like the play. It wasn't because his character was played by a woman, or that he died at the end of the play. It was because the writer of it had put Katara and Zuko together. Apparently even Zuko had noticed that Aang had more than just a crush on her. She stole a glance at Zuko who was still by her side and saw that he was looking at Aang's back as well, with a sad look in his eyes and a sad frown on his face that mirrored Katara's. It was like they just realized that they had been unconsciously teasing Aang, and were now regretting it.

Sokka was still laughing so hard that he could fall down at any second, if it were not for Suki, who was giggling at Sokka more than the performance. Toph was chuckling too. She was unable to really see what Aang was feeling because of her distance from him, the people in between them, and for the fact that she was too busy laughing herself, not to mention the two people laughing near her. Sokka's laughter alone was enough to cloud her from seeing things for a while. It was an amazement that she was still able to walk straight from all the things around her blinding her so.

Zuko put his hand on Katara's back surprisingly, startling Katara a great deal at the motion. His hand was firm and big and rough, yet the warm seeped into her skin through her clothes from his hand. She turned to look at him, but he pushed her forward before she could really get a good chance at seeing his face. She stumbled forward toward Aang and looked back at Zuko to see him walking with his hand back down at his side already, gazing at her with a hard stare.

Katara turned back toward Aang and ran a little to catch up to him. When she got to his side she began walking at the pace he was currently going. She bent down to eye level and said softly, "Aang?"

Aang turned his head away from her sharply, not wanting her to see that he was on the verge of tears.

"Aang, you know that it was all a play, right? It was just a joke. Nothing in that was real, or made any sense." Katara told him softly and quietly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What happened in there, in the play, between the actors portraying Zuko and myself, it wasn't real. You know that. It wasn't real. It was all for a laugh. Him and I actually saying or doing any of the things that the actors did, and meaning it without breaking out laughing; that is about as likely to happen as the Firelord defeating you. It is _not_ going to happen, neither of those things are. I promise you."

Aang didn't reply. He and Katara and Zuko were all quiet for a few minutes, and the only sounds that could be heard were the laughter from Sokka, Suki, and Toph, and the moaning of the ocean's waves as they brushed along the sand.

"Why are you explaining this," Aang said finally, whispering it out even softer and quieter than Katara had spoken, yet sounding misty and eerie at the same time, "as if you have something to hide? As if you have something to be ashamed of? I thought you were supposed to be convincing me, not yourself. I know that it wasn't you and Zuko who actually said those things on the stage seriously." Aang sniffed silently. "But it hurts just the same." He squeaked out quietly before running off ahead of the rest of the group.

Sokka and Suki stopped laughing and turned to look at the others.

"What's with him?" Sokka asked.

Toph had stopped laughing as well, but she didn't say anything. She already knew.

No one answered Sokka.

Katara didn't run after Aang like she maybe should have, but instead felt that he needed time to himself, to think about things and get his tears out of his system. She thought about what he said. She wasn't convincing herself of anything. She didn't like Zuko like that, period. Sure, there had been a few, very slight, intimate moments between them since she had known him, where her heart would start racing a little, but it wasn't anything serious. She admitted to herself that he _was_ an attractive man, especially since he had cut off his topknot and let his hair grow out, but she didn't like him like that. And Katara just wished that Aang would realize that already. She hated hurting him, even if it wasn't her fault and it was just over some silly little matter like what went on in the play.

Katara's pace slowed. It wasn't long before she suddenly found herself walking beside Zuko again. She looked over at him. His head was facing forward and his eyes refused to meet hers. Her heart deflated a little at that. Was he mad at her now too? Why? What had she done to _him_?

Katara sighed, which earned a brief glance from Zuko, although she didn't notice. Things just weren't going her way tonight.

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**Hi. Sorry that this chapter was really short compared to other ones that I've done for other stories in the past. Usually my chapters aren't this short. It's just that I felt that where I ended was a good place to end. I promise the next chapter won't be so short. I just had a hit of inspiration as I watched the ever-so-hilarious episode "The Ember Island Players" on megavideo. I wasn't going to continue this, but I decided that I will and that it will be interesting to see where this goes.**

**I hope that you liked this chapter. I named the story Bittersweet because I thought it was a cool title and when the opportunity for a name arose for this, I thought that it might go perfectly.**

**So, Aang thinks that Katara was convincing herself that she doesn't like Zuko more than she was convincing him...hm...interesting. Zuko is suddenly all moody (isn't he always? But that's why we love him! ^_^) after she tried to pep-talk Aang...hm...interesting. So, Katara doesn't like Zuko like that...well...we shall see, won't we? :D**

**This WILL be a Zutara fanfic, so don't worry. There will be slight Kataang, but don't worry your pretty little heads about that too much.**

**Next Chapter: Anticipation**

**Please review! :D**

**Ciao until next time!!**


	2. Anticipation

**Hey, thanks to all of you who have reviewed, I very much appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter. There's some hint toward Zutara. Lol. If you can call it that. I can't tell you much, but in chapter 4 there will be a little hands-on Zutara action going on. Lol. Just a little, though.

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**~x~Anticipation~x~**

Katara didn't get one lick of sleep after the group had gotten back from watching the play performed terribly by the Ember Island Players.

Aang didn't get any sleep either.

They had both been up all night, thinking about what the other had said and about what they had said themselves.

And so, the next morning, neither were very excited to be getting up at the crack of dawn to deal with a shouting Sokka.

"Give it back!" Sokka shouted as he chased Toph around Zuko's family's beach house. He stomped so loud that you didn't have to be Toph to be able to feel the vibrations all throughout the house.

"You want it then catch me!" Toph said as she jumped outside and started propelling herself around on the ground with the earth, laughing at Sokka who was still chasing her.

Katara and Aang had groggily made their way out side to where Zuko and Suki were sitting, watching and laughing at the entertainment provided to them by Sokka chasing Toph everywhere. They were placing bets on whether Sokka would catch up to Toph and take back what she had stolen or if Sokka would fall down dead before he could.

Aang yawned loudly and rubbed his sleepy eyes. Both he and Katara had dark circles under their eyes. Katara's hair was everywhere from tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep the night before.

"What's going on?" Aang asked Zuko, forgetting for a couple of minutes because of his lack of sleep that he was supposed to be mad at Zuko, even though Zuko didn't really do anything…this time.

"During breakfast, which you two missed for some reason, Toph finished her food early and wanted more, so she stole Sokka's precious meat and his boomerang and ran. Sokka's been chasing her ever since." Zuko explained. He then took a good look at Aang and Katara. "What happened to you guys? You look terrible."

"Gee, thanks." Aang said sarcastically before plopping himself down in between Zuko and Suki.

"Were you guys up all night?" Suki asked them, concerned.

Katara nodded her head sleepily before slowly sitting down on the deck next to Zuko. She had tried to go to sleep in some very odd positions last night, just in case that they might work in some miracle, although they didn't, and now was very sore. She winced when she finally got her butt down on the wood, and then sighed from all the work it took just to sit down. She propped up her elbow on her knee and placed her head in her hand, watching Sokka and Toph while squinting in the light from the sun just outside the overhang that covered the deck.

"GIVE THEM BACK!" Sokka screamed as he continued to chase after Toph.

Katara moaned and placed her other hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. Why couldn't they just be quiet for once?

"No!" Toph told him, turning her head back to look at him so that he could see her grin as she took a big bite out of the meat, juice dripping down her chin before she licked it all up with her tongue. Sokka whined.

_Animals_, thought Katara as she wished that they'd stop already. Even if she was inside the house, it wouldn't make much difference. Those two were so loud sometimes that she couldn't even tell if they were humans. They behaved more like wild beasts and should be locked up in a cage at times. Katara loved them, but they were being so annoying right now when she needed peace and quiet the most.

"Katara!" Sokka whined as he stopped to pant, facing his sister. "Make her give me them back!"

Katara moaned again, although it sounded like her moan was crying in frustration. It was so hot out too, and sitting next to Zuko the fire bender wasn't helping any. He was radiating his own heat and that mixed with the heat from the sun mixed with the blinding brightness of the sun mixed with the loudness of Sokka and Toph was giving her a major headache.

Katara chanced a glance over at Aang from around Zuko. It didn't look like he was doing much better. His eyes would droop every few seconds and then snap back open again, and his body swayed from side to side constantly and little motions. His mouth was open slightly and it looked like he might be moaning too from the unnecessary noise coming from Sokka and Toph.

If he were in a better mood he would probably be out there too, flying around and cheering one of them on, or making it more difficult for one or both of them. At the very least he would be sitting here and laughing his guts out like Zuko and Suki were. But no, he wasn't well enough to be doing that.

Katara closed her eyes again and sighed. They had both thought too long and hard about last night that when they tried to go to sleep they couldn't get one ounce of it, and now they were suffering the consequences. Katara didn't do well when she didn't get the amount of sleep she needed.

Katara opened and closed her eyes repeatedly; each time longer than the last her eyes would be closed. Why was it so darn hot? When she closed her eyes one time, she just kept them closed and her head suddenly found its way onto a soft fabric with something hard underneath it, and she felt hotter than ever. She could feel that there were muscles under the soft, warm fabric and that they were moving in sync. What was she lying on? Was it breathing? She could faintly hear a heartbeat, but she wasn't sure because it was so light. And then she heard her name being called repeatedly by several people, sounding worried. She was being shaken. Why couldn't everybody just leave her alone? She was so tired. She couldn't make out the voices, but one was the loudest as it softly whispered to her in a deep, rough voice in her ear. She let out a sigh. She was so hot.

**

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When Katara opened her eyes again, she found herself in her bed with a wet towel on her forehead. She had to blink a couple times until her eyes adjusted to the light. She looked around her. There was a bowl on water on a small table beside the bed and there was a chair pulled up to the bed, but it was empty. She looked around for any sight of anyone, but found no one.

Katara sighed. At least she didn't feel quite as hot anymore. She sat up and took the towel off of her head and rung it above the bowl. She placed the towel to the side and blew on the water. It visibly cooled. She bended the water from the bowl around her right hand to form a healing glove and then lifted her hand up to her forehead.

Katara moaned in delight. Now that felt good.

Katara bended the water back into the bowl from her hand once she felt well enough again to stand up. She walked around her room carefully and peaked out into the hall from her slightly open door to see if anyone was around. They weren't. Where could everyone be?

**

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**

"So, I brought you all here today to discuss something very important." Sokka began as he paced back and forth in front of the others, excluding Katara. Sokka stopped and turned to look at the four before pacing again.

"Well, are you going to tell us already?" Toph prodded, bored.

"It feels more like an interrogation." Zuko muttered.

Sokka stopped and cleared his throat and began pacing again. "Tomorrow, as you may not know, is Katara's birthday." He said as he stopped with his hands together behind his back and his eyes narrowed, gazing at each and every one of them. "She's turning fifteen and I want you all to go to town and get her something, do you hear me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Toph said as she put her hand up to her forehead to salute Sokka melodramatically. She was actually doing pretty well at keeping a straight face.

"What would she want?" Zuko asked; flabbergasted at the thought of anything that she would want that he could possibly get her.

Sokka shrugged. "Like I know. Just get her girly stuff." He replied.

Zuko rolled his eyes. Well that sure helped a _whole_ lot. He stood up and stretched his arms and his eyes fell on Aang as he was leaving the room. Aang was looking at the ground with a sad look on his face, but also a contemplative look as if he were thinking very hard about something. He was probably thinking about what to get Katara.

Sighing, Zuko exited the room and walked down the hall. He walked through a few hallways, just wandering, his mind blank, looking down at the ground.

"Oomph,"

Zuko felt something hit his chest. He looked up just in time to put his quick reflexes to work and catch the falling Katara.

He watched her curiously as he brought her back up to stand. She rubbed her chest and looked at him with an eyebrow raised, eyeing his chest.

"What do you have under that shirt, a brick wall?" She asked him, still rubbing her chest in pain.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Sorry," he muttered underneath his breath. She was standing close enough to just barely catch it. "You okay?" He said a bit louder.

"Yeah," Katara said.

"Is your chest going to be alright or did I bruise it for life?" Zuko asked; his eyebrow rising this time as he saw Katara was still rubbing her chest.

He looked back up to her face to see her cheeks tint with pink as she withdrew her hand to her side. "It's fine," she muttered.

"Come on; let's take you back to your room." Zuko said as he grabbed hold of her upper arm and started pulling her down the hallways and toward the room she was staying in.

"I can walk for myself, thank you very much." Katara said, struggling to get out of his warm vice-like grip.

"You can never be too careful, especially after what happened this morning." Zuko told her as he continued to pull her along.

"What exactly _did_ happen this morning?" Katara asked, eyeing him warily. "I don't remember much."

"Well," Zuko sighed, "you didn't look too good, like you were in pain or something, and you were beginning to sweat for no reason. One moment you were holding your head and then the next it had fallen onto my shoulder. I shook you a little but you didn't open your eyes. Everyone was really worried. I guess you passed out after that."

"That explains why I was so hot." Katara said, snapping the fingers of the hand on her free arm in sudden realization.

"Excuse me?" Zuko asked her, not sure he had heard her right.

Katara's cheeks turned a little pink again, Zuko noticed, and she avoided his gaze. "I remember being really hot, and when my head suddenly found its way onto the soft fabric, I found myself being unbearably hot, so I guess I fainted. Heat stroke, do you think?"

Zuko stopped, pulling her to a stop as well, and walked in front of her so that they were facing each other. He still had a hold on her upper arm. He bent down and looked into her face. She avoided her eyes so he had no choice but to grasp her chin with the fingers of his other hand that was not holding her arm. He looked into her eyes.

"Or from lack of sleep," he said accusingly.

Katara blushed some more. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment more before Zuko started pulling her along again, down the many hallways. Katara was sure she would never have been able to find her way back to her room if Zuko were not leading her. This house had way too many hallways.

"Why didn't you sleep last night?" Zuko asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I was thinking." Katara replied sheepishly.

"Thinking should be done during the day, when you're awake. It'll keep you from much-needed rest if done at night, believe me. I've had my fair share of sleepless nights before." Zuko sympathized with her.

"When you were chasing us?" Katara whispered. She hadn't meant for Zuko to hear it, but he did.

Zuko paused for a second or two and Katara suddenly felt bad. He regretted what he had done, she knew that. She was only rubbing his mistakes in further, and that was not Katara.

Zuko started walking again and answered her question, even though he was sure he wasn't meant to hear it either. "Some, but not all, some sleepless nights were when I was in Ba Sing Se; some were when I was on the run from my sister. I'd had sleepless nights before I'd even met you guys."

Zuko finally stopped in front of a door and pushed it open before stepping inside, pulling Katara along with him. He closed the door behind him and pulled Katara over to the bed where he released her arm and pushed her down onto the bed. He sat down in the chair and just watched her. Katara felt very awkward.

"You need more sleep." Zuko told her, gesturing to the bed with his hand as he said that.

"I'm fine now." Katara said.

Zuko just shook his head. "No, you're not. I haven't known you that well for very long, but I do know from all the times that we've fought that you're very determined and strong. You know how to take a blow. But now's not the time to suck it up and keep on going. Everyone's worried about you. They all want you to be well rested," Zuko smirked at her, "for your birthday tomorrow. And I know how you hate to disappoint people."

"How did you—,"

"Sokka," Zuko said. "Now either you get in that bed and fall asleep or I'll force you into that bed and make you pass out from what you call a 'heat stroke.'"

Katara rolled her eyes and stared at him. "I'm not scared of you, you know."

"You used to be."

"I did not!" Katara shouted, jumping to her feet.

"Really?" asked Zuko, not believing her for one second. He just still sat there, looking up at her with a smirk. He crossed his arms before saying, "That's not how I remember things."

"I have never been afraid of you!" Katara shouted yet again. She bent over and poked her finger into his forehead. "You're just too arrogant to admit that you're lying."

Zuko's smirk didn't falter. He took her finger off of his forehead and let it go before quickly grabbing her hand and pulling her face closer to his.

Katara's breath hitched. Their faces were so close to each other. She gazed into his golden eyes. _I don't like him like that, I don't like him like that,_ Katara kept telling herself. She had never been this close face-to-face with Zuko before, not even when he had supposedly "saved" her from the pirates that he had hired, or when they were in the catacombs underneath Ba Sing Se.

Thinking of the catacombs didn't remind her right now of how Aang had almost died or how Zuko had betrayed them, betrayed _her_. No, all that was in the past now. Instead, at this very moment, it reminded her of when she had offered to heal Zuko's scar, and it made her wonder what he would look like without it, if he would be any different of a person without it.

Katara's gazed drifted from Zuko's golden, piercing eyes to his flame-shaped scar. Zuko wasn't oblivious to the change in her attention. Although his scar made him feel self-conscious most of the time, this time it would work toward his advantage.

"I remember a time when you were still afraid of this scar. You thought it was evil, and that having it made me even more evil." Zuko said softly.

"I never said that!" Katara objected sharply, her eyes instantly going back to Zuko's.

"You didn't have to." Zuko replied. "I've seen the expression of fear on your face more than any of your friends, maybe even your family. I've seen you fear for poor, defenseless little Aang, the Avatar who needs you to mother him," at this Zuko's voice turned harsh, as if he were still his old self. Katara flinched by this sudden change in him. His eyes had become sharp and blazing. Katara realized that this subject must not be one that Zuko liked. Why did he hate it so when she tried to take care of everyone?

Zuko's gaze softened when he saw her flinch and his voice softened as well. "I've seen you fear that I'd beat you on more than one occasion. I've seen you fear for your brother, and for the blind girl, and for innocent people you've never met. I've seen you fear for even Jet." Katara saddened at the mention of her dead friend and first serious crush. He had turned out to be psycho the first time she had met him, but the last time she had seen him she had seen that he had changed and wasn't that bad of a guy. She felt terrible that he had to die at so young.

"I've seen you fear for even me." Zuko whispered to her, his eyes searching her blue ones. "And I've got to tell you, although they don't seem that far apart, your expression changes so much when you are afraid _for_ me instead of when you are afraid _of_ me." Zuko brought her even closer and to the side of his face, so that he could lean into her ear and whisper, "I preferred it when you were afraid for me instead of when you were afraid of me. It made me feel like less of a monster."

"You're not a monster!" Katara protested, pulling away from him so that she could get a good look of his face.

"Not even with this?" He asked with a slight smirk, his free hand gingerly fingering his scar.

Katara shook her head from side to side rapidly. "Of course not!" she told him. "What's done is done; it's all in the past. But you're changed now, you're better. That scar doesn't define you, it never did. If anything that scar shows how brave and strong you are! It shows how much you've been through, and how you didn't break from all of it!"

Zuko gave her a slight smile before releasing her hand and pushing her back onto the bed with such force that she landed on her butt. He _was _incredibly strong. But then again, he was a muscle guy, what else could one expect from such a man? Well, technically Zuko was still a teenage boy.

"Now, get some rest before things get ugly." Zuko told her.

"Ugly how?" asked Katara, curious.

"Ugly as in I go and tell Sokka that you made out with Aang in your underwear." Zuko told her with a mischievous smirk.

Katara gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"Do you really want to see and find out?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow.

Katara quickly climbed into bed underneath all of the covers and rested her head on the pillow. She closed her eyes and waited for Zuko to leave. When she didn't hear him get up or the door open and close, she opened her eyes to see that he was still sitting in the chair, leaning back against the wood of its backrest.

"Aren't you going to leave?" Katara asked him.

Zuko shook his head. "Nah," he replied.

"Why not?" asked Katara, getting a little annoyed.

"Because we've all been taking shifts watching you in case you woke up," Zuko told her. "It was technically my shift when you woke up, but Sokka called us all together to talk to us."

"What about?" asked Katara, "And why wasn't I invited?"

"Well, for one, you were sleeping, and for two, it was about your birthday tomorrow." Zuko told her.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked him, still confused.

"Say, what do you want for your birthday? You know, a birthday present, what would you want that I'd be able to get you? Anything specific?" asked Zuko suddenly, changing the subject, as he leaned forward in his chair toward her, his hands clasped together on top of his knees.

"Umm…I don't know." Katara told him honestly. She really hadn't thought about her birthday tomorrow.

"Come on, you'll be fifteen!" Zuko told her with a small smile. "You must have something in mind. One doesn't turn fifteen every day."

Katara thought for a moment before speaking. "You've been fifteen already. What did you get for your birthday?"

Katara was surprised to see a light shade of pink enter Zuko's cheeks.

"Well, it was while I was on the ship with my uncle. He was making such a fuss about it, and I told him that it was just silly nonsense to be worrying about while we still needed to, you know, find the Avatar. But he refused to let me just leave it at that. So, when we made port, he went into town and bought all kinds of things. And when it was my birthday, he threw a surprise birthday party for me on the ship, and all the crew was there. It was really embarrassing, since he had gotten a little drunk and was waving around a bottle of sake. It was quite a change from his usual tea, but he thought that a special occasion deserved a special drink. He even forced a couple shots down my throat." Zuko laughed. "I'd never tasted anything so terrible in my life. My throat burned like I had just stuck hot coal down there. And then there was cake and uncle played some music with a couple other crew members and it was just one big laugh. But it was fun."

Katara smiled at him. "That does sound fun." She then giggled a little. "And I'm sure it would have been funny to watch your face when drinking sake."

Zuko laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, uncle said that it looked like I was sucking on a lemon, my face was so scrunched up. To this day I cannot stand the smell of sake." Zuko stuck out his tongue in disgust. He then turned back to the situation at hand. "So, what do you want that I can get for you?"

Katara sighed. "I don't know. Just look around for stuff in the marketplace. I'd say save the money that we have, but Sokka and the others would never do that." She then thought for a minute. "Knowing them, they'll probably get me all kinds of different things. I bet Suki will get me something really girly and Toph will get me something really tough that would be good in battle. Sokka would probably get me food or something." Katara laughed at that. "And Aang…" Katara paused. "I'm not sure what Aang would get me. I don't know what you'd get me either. I bet you two would get me something really awkward or something like that or something that would be made fun of by Sokka and I'd get really embarrassed. Either that or you guys would get me something completely wrong and then I'd have no choice but to except it while Sokka laughs at me."

Zuko gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…probably." He agreed.

"You two are in the same boat, I guess. Aang grew up away from girls, and then spent a hundred years in an iceberg, and then you and I barely know each other so you would be at a loss as well." Katara mused.

"Don't forget that Aang has a crush on you." Zuko teased her with a playful smile.

"Shut up," Katara told him with a smile that matched his smile's playfulness. She took a swing at him with her arm.

"For all you know, he might confess his undying love for you tomorrow and then try to make out with you." Zuko taunted playfully.

"Shut up!" Katara squealed, embarrassed, as she threw her pillow at him, which he caught due to his quick reflexes.

"Ooo," Zuko teased, "did I hit a sensitive spot?"

"At least I've been kissed!" Katara defended quickly.

"So have I!" Zuko retorted.

"Oh yeah, your moody girlfriend." said Katara with a slight smile. "I bet she's a _really_ good kisser. Does she just stand still and it feels like you're kissing a wall?"

"At least I don't kiss people too young for me!" Zuko said.

"Aang is _not_ too young for me. He's only a couple years younger." Katara said.

"Yeah, but a couple years goes a long way. Look at him, he's a kid. That's just sick and wrong to be kissing a kid, Katara, shame on you." Zuko said, shaking his head and making a "tusking" noise with his tongue.

"Hey!" Katara shouted at him, looking desperately for something else to throw at him, but could find nothing. "Besides, it was only a couple times. They weren't even that serious. They were just sweet, innocent little pecks."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Sure, that's what they all say."

"How do you ever expect me to fall asleep when you keep talking?" Katara asked finally, changing the subject since she knew that she was losing the fight.

"Fine," Zuko told her before handing her pillow back to her. "You might need this."

"Thanks," Katara muttered before taking the pillow and placing it down on the bed and resting her head on it. She snuggled up underneath the covers and sighed contentedly. She lied on her side so that she could look at Zuko.

There was silence for a few minutes before Katara decided to break it.

"Why are you always so hot?" She said all of the sudden, surprising Zuko.

Zuko looked shocked at first, before raising an eyebrow at her and smirking.

"Oh you know what I mean!" Katara told him, scowling, "Stop being so egotistical."

"Hey, you leave my ego out of this. You've already wounded it enough for one lifetime. It deserves to be left alone and out of your reach." Zuko told her seriously, pointing his finger at her accusingly. Katara giggled. "I'm always so 'hot' as you put it, because I'm a fire bender. The fire I bend comes from within. Earlier, when you said that when your head landed on the soft fabric, you felt hotter than ever, that's because you were already so hot from everything that being near me just made it worse. I radiate my own heat, which is very handy when I'm in cold places."

"That is handy." Katara told him. "Especially when there are other people around you that are cold too."

"Yes, but whenever I've been in a cold place, those other people around me have always been fire benders, so they radiate their own heat."

Katara nodded before yawning.

"Now go to sleep." Zuko told her.

Katara nodded her head slightly before closing her eyes and drifting off. All her talk with Zuko had made her surprisingly exhausted. She dreamed of her birthday tomorrow and what it would bring.

**

* * *

**

About twenty minutes or so, when Zuko was sure that Katara was asleep; he slowly crept out of her room and gently closed the door behind him, so as not to wake her. Walking down the hallway, he wondered what he should get her for tomorrow.

During his walk, he passed an Aang who was deep in thought. He was probably thinking about what to get Katara as well.

Zuko was slightly amazed. Katara had told him that he and Aang would probably have the hardest times because of their inexperience. At least he had experience with girls, even if Aang didn't. So that wasn't his problem. His problem was his inexperience with Katara. Sure, he had fought her plenty of times before, but he had never gotten to know her so he didn't really know what she liked that well.

In his walking, Zuko passed the room where Sokka had huddled everyone together. Only Sokka and Suki were in there now. Toph was roaming around somewhere most likely. They'd probably go shopping later and Sokka would suggest that they should all go together in better chances of finding the right gifts for Katara.

Zuko stopped in front of the room, staring at the two. They were huddled up together, with their backs turned to him so they didn't know he was there watching. Their arms were around each other and they were gently talking.

He had never had that with Mai, not really.

Zuko kept walking and sighed. Finding her a present was going to be very difficult, just as she had predicted it might be.

What could an almost fifteen-year-old girl like Katara possibly want?

* * *

**Told you it'd be longer, much longer. Took up 12 pages in Microsoft word, compared to chapter 1 which took up 3 mesely pages. Lol. So, I hope that you liked the chapter. And.....**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!**

**Lol. Meanwhile, I stayed up until 3 AM to finish this, so you all had better thank me. Lol. I wrote this all in one night, thank you very much. I wrote the majority of it right after I beat a lot of Mario Kart Wii. Lol. Love that game, it's so fun. I got it for Christmas.**

**Anywho, I'm tired so I'm going to bed. I was going to make the ending a bit different, but then I brushed my teeth and I forgot what I was going to do. So, if I remember it, I won't hesitate to change the ending, but I don't think that I will.**

**Next Chapter: Present Hastle**

**I was originally going to make the next chapter the day of Katara's birthday, but then if I did that this chapter would have been MUCH loner and I'm too lazy to do that right now because I'm tired and wanted this chapter up, so you'll just have to wait a bit longer for her birthday, but don't worry, because I hope that the wait will be worth it.**

**Next chapter is about when they go to the marketplace to look for presents for her. You'll never guess what Zuko finds and what present he gives her. Lol. But it isn't material. Muwahahahaha. Lol. Now I must go, because I think I hear my mom and I don't want to get caught.**

**Nighty-night. Sleep tight. Don't dream of bed bugs tonight, because I did that Wednesday morning and it scared me to death because I'm very insectophobic and aracnophobic. Lol. It took all night to finally get to sleep and when I did I dreampt about this guy that I have a crush on from school being in my room and lying on my bed and playing Mario Kart Wii with me ((I know, right? But it's just a dream, lol. He's really cute too! :D)) and then I had 2 dreams about bugs. The second dream had my kitty in it, so it wasn't too bad. I have this sky blue fly swatter, and in my dream it was really big, and in my dream I was hitting bees around like in tennis. Lol. They'd fly into the wall, buzz, and then bounce off. My dream ended with my being attacked in the face by a bee. I'm glad I woke up. Lol.**

**Sadly, the guy I have a crush on, we don't talk much, although when we do talk we get along rather well. So, wish me luck. He's a little weird, but he's still good. :P**

**So, for the last and final time, nighty-night.**

**Ciao, mi amour. Lol. A little mix of italian and french. Lol. **

**Okay, now I'm really going for serious. Lol. Sorry, just really in a talkative mood. This is almost as big as the chapter. Lol. Sorry. **

**BYE!!**


	3. Present Hastle

**Thank you to all those who have reviewed the story. I had a little case of writer's block with this one, but once I fiigured it out, the words just flowed freely. Oh, and to those of you who have taken the time and effor to read my Author's Notes, bless your little souls. Here's the next chapter, hope that you like it!**

* * *

**~x~Present Hastle~x~**

They had told Katara to wait at the house until they returned. After all, they couldn't very well have her tagging along while they shopped for presents for her, now could they?

So far, Suki had bought her a new dress and new shoes and a couple hair clips, Toph had bought her a new water pouch that was bigger than her old one that was slightly falling apart, Sokka bought her an apron for when she cooks them food—Zuko could guess that she wouldn't be too thrilled about that—and a bandana to keep her hair out of her face while she cooked the food—Zuko had to laugh—Sokka was just thinking of everything for when she prepares food for them. And Aang and Zuko were still looking.

Zuko sighed after about a half hour of wandering in the marketplace, placing his hands on his hips. He really wanted to run his hand through his hair, but right now he was wearing a cloak with the hood up, so that it covered most of his scar.

Shopping for Katara was indeed harder than it sounded. What could she _possibly_ want that he could get for her? Zuko's mind was drawing a blank as he looked around at all the little things in the stalls around him.

He was ruling out the things that to him seemed ridiculous. She wouldn't want fruit. She probably wouldn't want a wig, or really tall shoes. She wouldn't want a pet rat-bird that didn't know how to sit still or listen to the person who was trying to make it do something. She wouldn't want cabbages from that cart being pushed by an old man who was stroking one of his own cabbages in his hands with a grin set upon his face—Zuko wasn't sure that it was _safe_ to purchase anything from that old crackpot of a man. He looked like he was missing some cabbages in his head, and he probably was.

That was when Zuko spotted it, the perfect present for Katara. It wasn't much, but it was still something that he was sure every girl wanted. It was a stand full of beautifully designed hairbrushes and combs. Zuko started making his way toward it, but unfortunately, the stand had also caught someone else's eye as well. And since Aang was an air bender and was light on his feet, he got to the stand first. Zuko stopped and stared in shock. Great, just great, _now_ what was he going to get her?

Sighing, Zuko turned away from the stand and right into the face of a mask. Zuko stumbled back a bit in surprise. There was a whole cart full of masks that an old man had previously been pushing around. He stopped to let people look at the masks, or rather, to let Zuko look, since he seemed to be the only one interested.

Zuko looked at all the masks on both sides of the cart. He was curious and bored and it couldn't hurt.

He looked at all of the different masks. She wouldn't want a mask, would she?

Zuko shook off the thought. This was Katara he was talking about, of course she wouldn't. But he didn't necessarily have to get anything. He was just looking. It didn't hurt to look.

There were pink masks, red masks, purple masks, green masks, yellow masks, orange masks, white masks, black masks, blue masks, lots and lots of masks. There were too many masks for the cart that it looked like some would just fall off at any moment, they were barely hanging on.

Zuko's eyes widened. It couldn't be. He picked it up off of the cart and studied it. He flipped it over and looked at its back before turning it back to the front. He walked over to the man working the cart.

"Sir, could I ask where you got this?" Zuko asked him, holding up the mask and pointing to it.

"Oh, that, well, between you and me," the man leaned in to whisper to Zuko, "I found that little beauty in a river in the Earth Kingdom. Can you believe it? Someone threw that beauty away. It was in near perfect condition too. Traveled all the way here from down near Ba Sing Se."

Zuko looked at the mask and fingered the little pouch attached to his belt around his waist. He was supposed to use that money on a gift for Katara and not for his own selfish little wants. But this was an once-in-a-lifetime thing. He may never have a chance again to see it. He just had to get it.

"How much is it?" Zuko asked the man.

"Well, for you, I could make it five silver coins."

Zuko sighed. He couldn't spend that much on a mask. The others would kill him if they found out. Zuko nodded before putting the mask back on the cart and starting to walk away sulkily.

"Wait! Three! Three silver coins!" The man called to him.

Zuko stopped and smirked. Bingo. He turned around and took the mask off of the cart and handed the man three silver coins.

"Thank you," Zuko told him.

The man smile and greedily eyed the money that was handed to him.

Zuko placed the mask in his cloak pocket and walked away, looking around.

He couldn't help the smile creeping its way on his face. He was starting to feel more complete again. That mask was a part of him. That blue and white mask was a special part of him. The Blue Spirit was a very important part of him.

* * *

The group met up after an hour of searching the marketplace. Zuko was the only one empty handed still.

"We're going to go back. You should stay and continue looking for a present for Katara." Sokka said.

Zuko nodded and sighed.

"Hey, if all else fails, you can get her something stupid, like Sokka did." Toph told him, trying to cheer him up, although not doing a very good job, seeing as how Toph wasn't really a pep-talk type of person.

"I didn't get her something stupid!" Sokka defended, his voice cracking a little.

"Oh come on! You got her stuff to barely help her when she's cooking food for _you_." Toph said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright you two," Suki told them, standing in between them and holding her hands up. "We don't need a repeat of this morning." She turned to Zuko and said, "We'll see you later, then."

Zuko nodded. "Bye," he told them, before they walked away.

Zuko sighed again and wished that he didn't have that blasted hood up because he really wanted to run his hands through his hair in frustration.

There was nothing left to do but for Zuko to wander around aimlessly, searching for something, anything that Katara might like for her birthday that one of the others had not already gotten her.

Zuko looked around him as he walked through the streets. There was nothing she would want, _nothing_, at least not anything that he could find here, in the streets of Ember Island.

Junk lined the streets, being vended off by people needing money. Zuko cringed at some of the things that he saw being sold.

"Cabbage?"

"Ah!" Zuko jumped back and away from the creepy old cabbage seller who had just shoved cabbage into his face. His upper lip turned back in disgust. "No," he told him, shaking his head and putting his hand in from of him to stop the cabbage seller from getting the cabbage any closer to him.

Zuko slowly backed away from him and quickly walked away toward the other side of the street and as far away from the creepy old cabbage selling man as he could. He shivered.

_Moving on,_ Zuko thought as he walked on through the streets.

Zuko noticed those around him, all the people. There were families out together, people and their friends, and rarely someone wandering around alone, like he was. Children were laughing and smiling with their families and friends while pointing at things that they saw.

The entire thing made him feel even lonelier and sadder. He hated seeing families that loved their children like that. He didn't have that, and when he did, it was unfairly taken away from him.

He hated it when things weren't fair. It just wasn't…well…fair, to put it simply.

Zuko was too busy basking in self-pity that he almost missed it, almost. He stared at it. The store held his answers, all of his beautiful answers.

A shop that sold bending scrolls.

It was a tiny shop, but it was still a shop, and what it sold was the important thing and the only thing that mattered, and not what it was being sold in.

The only problem?

Zuko felt the money pouch attached to his waist. He heard a few coins jingle in there.

His money was limited.

Zuko sighed. He knew for a fact that scrolls cost quite a bit. He learned that little tid-bit from a long time ago, when he had gotten tangled up in those pirates and Katara who had stolen a scroll from them. Zuko was amazed. It seemed so long since then, like it was just a teeny, tiny, distant memory from years ago, when in actuality it was more like months.

The memory almost made Zuko laugh, because it reminded him of the play. The actress playing Katara in the play had been crying when she stole the scroll because it "just gave me so much hope."

And when Zuko was trying to contain his laugh, his body shook, and something hard pressed against his chest. Zuko stopped trying to contain his laugh, because he stopped laughing all together.

The mask!

Zuko could wear the mask later and steal a bending scroll at night. It was perfect! He just couldn't tell the others about what he was planning to do, because they'd probably all be against it. Except for Toph, she'd probably want to come along and help.

Zuko knew that stealing was wrong, but this was for Katara. This was an exception. She was such a good person, that doing something bad in order to help a good person couldn't really be all _that_ bad. At least that's what Zuko told himself so that it wouldn't weigh down his recently-found conscience.

Zuko knew that Katara was already a water bending master, but it couldn't hurt. He just had to steal the most expensive scroll and hope that Katara didn't already know the moves in it. Yeah. That'd work. At least Zuko hoped that it would, otherwise he would be in a _lot_ of trouble.

But no worries, he was the Blue Spirit! Well, he _was_ the Blue Spirit, but he could easily become that again. He just had to remember all the stealth he had used when he was the Blue Spirit. He even still had the swords!

Tonight he would act, and nothing could go wrong.

Zuko eyed his surroundings so that he'd know where the store was when he came back tonight as he slowly walked away.

When he figured that he'd gotten the place down pretty well in his memory, Zuko walked back toward the beach house, deciding to take a stroll along the beach.

There was no way he was going to let Katara down.

**

* * *

**

When Zuko got back to the beach house, he didn't fail to notice that everyone was outside, everyone except for Katara.

Zuko avoided everyone quickly and walked to his room in a hurry, wanting to put the mask away in a safe place before anyone had the chance to accidentally find out.

When Zuko reached his room, he closed his door and looked around, putting down his hood and running his hand through his hair. He sighed. He had missed doing that at the marketplace. It had become a habit of his to run his hand through his hair whenever he was frustrated or worried or thinking about something a little too hard. It came with his hair being how it is now. He couldn't imagine if he still had his top-knot and no hair around it. What would he run his hands through then?

Zuko decided to just stash his mask underneath his mattress and hope that no one would go snooping under it anytime soon.

Opening the door back up, he walked back into the hall and down toward Katara's room, to check to see if she was in there. He didn't think that he had been gone that long, so he figured that she was probably still sleeping unless she woke up or someone else woke her up, mainly Sokka and his big mouth, who seemed to love nothing more than to make noise. Well, he loved his meat and his precious boomerang before that, but he loved those two more than anything else. Except Suki, Zuko thought that she might come in between meat and the boomerang.

When Zuko got to the room, however, he found it slightly ajar, and when he pushed it open, the bed was empty and Katara was nowhere to be seen. Zuko went back to his room to take off his cloak before going outside to meet up with the others to see if they knew where she was.

"Hey, guys, has anyone seen Katara?" Zuko asked as he came outside where the others were. They all stopped and looked at him.

"What do you mean? Isn't she in her room?" Suki asked.

Zuko shook his head. "No, I checked there. She wasn't there."

The other four turned to look at each other. Sokka shrugged. "She was probably just roaming the house and got lost. It's easy to get lost in this place."

Zuko nodded his head in agreement, although he didn't exactly agree with Sokka, nor did he think that he was right. Katara had gotten lost in the hallways this morning, would she really try to venture out into them again so early?

"Toph, can you feel where Katara is?" Aang asked his earth bending teacher.

Toph shook her head. "No. Unless she's on the solid earth ground, I can't feel her. I don't know how to bend wood yet, twinkle-toes, so I can't see if someone's on wood."

Most of the beach house was up on small wooden stilts, up and away from the ground.

"I'll search around for her." Zuko announced.

"I'll look too." Aang said as he stood up from sitting down on the deck and walked over toward Zuko.

"Should we split up? We'll find her faster that way." Zuko said.

Aang nodded. "Good idea. You search the house while I fly around up above and see if I can spot her anywhere outside of the house."

"Good luck." Zuko said before disappearing back into the house, leaving the rest of the group to continue doing what they were before he interrupted them.

"I don't need luck." Aang muttered conceitedly and angrily as he grabbed his glider and opened it up before taking to the skies.

"Katara?" called Zuko as he walked quickly throughout the hallways. He called her name a few more times and waited. There was no response.

Zuko opened every door and poked his head in, searching the room with his eyes to see if she was hiding out in there. She wasn't in any of them.

"Katara?" called Zuko again.

He heard a slight sound. It wasn't strong or loud and he almost missed it, if not for his trained senses that he still had from when he was the Blue Spirit and always had to be on alert.

Zuko moved closer toward the noise quickly, yet quietly at the same time.

Zuko paused at his door and leaned his head up against it, his door pressed against the door that had somehow now become closed. He heard whimpering inside.

Zuko swung the door open carefully and quietly, yet the door swung open the entire length of an arm and a half.

Katara was there, curled up on his bed, and shaking.

Zuko immediately closed the door gently and walked over to her, a concerned expression on his face, worried.

"Katara?" he spoke gently, in fear of upsetting her.

Katara covered her face quickly with her arms and hands, still shaking.

Zuko sat down carefully on the bed next to Katara. He stayed silent for a few seconds before glancing over toward her and speaking softly again. "Katara, what's wrong?"

She just shook her head.

Zuko sighed. He placed his hands in his lap and looked down at them, twiddling his thumbs together, waiting patiently.

Katara sniffed.

Neither of them spoke for a long time—or moved for that matter. Zuko would glance over to Katara briefly every now and then and then went back to doing what he was doing before, either staring into space, looking at the things in his room, or occupying himself with something that he could do with his body, such as twiddling his thumbs or something along that nature. Never did he do anything that disturbed the bed or Katara.

After a while, when Zuko looked over to her, he realized that she had stopped shaking but still had her face covered. He saw her body move in deep, soothing breaths, and knew that she was still awake and was attempting to calm down.

Since he had arrived, he had not heard her make a single sound. There had been no sound at all, except for her shaky breaths and labored breathing, and Zuko's occasional sighs.

Eventually, Katara slowly, hesitantly, pulled her arms and hands away from her face and lifted her head up a little to gaze at Zuko, who was currently staring at the wall, looking at nothing.

He noticed her out of his peripherals and his head snapped over in her direction.

Her eyes were puffy and red and her cheeks looked worn-down. He looked at her sleeves and saw that they were a darker color than the rest of her clothing. Zuko turned his eyes back up to look into hers. There was a pained yet guilty, sad expression in her eyes.

Very slowly and carefully, Katara maneuvered herself so that she was sitting, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms around them, her head resting on her knees.

Zuko sighed and ran his hand through his hair, which Katara caught, and watched him do what she so badly wanted to do. Ever since he had grown his hair out like that, she had had the secret urge to just touch it, feel it, run her hands through it and see how soft it was. It was a strange urge, and she had often dismissed it as it being because she hadn't really seen hair like that for a while, and especially not on someone young and somewhat close to her. It was a silly urge, and Katara often had to internally laugh at herself for having it.

Zuko glanced over at Katara, and she quickly looked away, a light tint of pink attacking her cheeks at being caught.

Zuko scooted over, closer toward her. Their arms were so close to touching now. And, unexpectedly—and shocking the living daylights out of Katara—Zuko swung his arm around her shoulders, his hand firmly resting on the shoulder furthest from him, and brought her closer to him so that their sides were crushed against each other, but not painfully.

Katara's heart went into overtime, beating rapidly inside her chest that she wouldn't be surprised if Zuko could hear it—or feel it, since it might be possible at their close proximity.

Katara hesitantly placed her head lightly on Zuko's shoulder and allowed her legs to be sprawled out to her right, her body still attached to Zuko's side.

They were both quiet for a few minutes, neither wanting to break the silence. Zuko was the one who finally spoke. "Do you want to tell me what's gotten you so upset?" He asked gently.

Katara was to his right, and so she could only see the beautiful, perfect, unmarred side of his face when she lifted her head up or tilted it enough to face him so that he could get a good look. She forced back a smile, not wanting to give herself or her thoughts away.

Zuko turned to look at her, and she saw the entirety of his face, the marred and the unmarred. But, she decided, he didn't look any less handsome than when she could only see his unscarred side. She would admit that willingly to herself and only herself. She decided that there was nothing wrong in thinking that a boy—or man, she hadn't really determined whether or not he was still a boy or a man yet, she would worry about that some other time—was attractive, even if you used to hate his entire existence.

Katara looked at his face, studying it, when she realized that he was waiting for an answer. She looked away from his eyes and murmured, "Nothing."

"It sure didn't look like nothing." Zuko said softly, maneuvering his face so that he was in front of her line of sight.

She gave a small smile and instantly tried to cover it up, but couldn't help it. Zuko smiled a little in return.

"If you don't want to tell me now, that's fine, but I'm not giving up and I'll find out sooner or later." Zuko warned her.

Katara didn't nod, but instead laid her head back on Zuko's warm shoulder and said softly, "I know." He rarely ever gave up on anything, and Katara knew that he wouldn't forget this that easily. If she really wanted to get him to forget it, she would have to distract him a great deal, and even then it was a long shot. The only question was how could she distract him well enough to get him to forget it? She'd figure something out later.

Zuko lightly placed his head on top of hers, and the two sat there in silence for a while.

"What made you come to my room?" Zuko asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in on the two.

Katara paused before speaking, gathering her words up so that she would be able to form the right sentences and say what she intended to, and not go blurting out something embarrassing. "I was looking for you, and I found your room and thought that you might be in here, but you weren't. I went out into the hall, but I forgot which way I came, and stayed in your room. I figured that you'd be back sooner or later." She confessed.

"But why my room? Why me?" asked Zuko, puzzled.

Katara gave a light shrug, which only worked for the shoulder that wasn't up against Zuko's warm, muscle-filled chest.

"The others were all together outside, and I thought that I might make a scene if I went out there. I only wanted to be with one person, not everyone all at once. Besides, even if they were all by themselves, you seemed like the most reasonable choice." Katara said, and blushed at what she said, before continuing to explain. "Sokka would have been overprotective and lousy at comforting me. Toph would have been in a very awkward position, since she's too tough to really know what to do, and we'd be lost. Suki would have blabbed to Sokka about anything I told her or that happened out of concern for me, thinking that my brother should know. Aang would have…" Katara paused. "Well, I just couldn't go to Aang. And so that left only you."

"And I was the most reasonable choice because…?" Zuko prompted.

"Because I knew that I could tell you anything and that you wouldn't tell anyone. I know that you know how to keep secrets and that you respect other people's privacy." Katara admitted, her blush deepening into a faint red. "I thought that…since I've gone through some things that you can relate to and vice versa, I thought you might understand more than the others would. I wanted someone to comfort me, and not ask a bazillion questions, someone to just be there." Katara turned her face away from him and muttered the last part. "That's why I picked you."

Zuko smiled at her. "Well, that makes me feel special." He admitted before chuckling. He squeezed Katara closer to him for a second before letting the squeeze end. Katara grinned up at him, and he smiled warmly back down at her.

Suddenly, without warning, Zuko retracted his arm and stood up, leaving Katara to feel a sudden chill at the loss of the extra body heat that Zuko radiated so well. He stretched out his arms and turned to look at her.

"We'd best go find the others. Aang is out looking for you outside in the sky. You don't have to tell them where you've been or what you've been doing, but I'll bet that Aang is worried." Zuko told her.

Katara nodded glumly and reluctantly slid off the bed and onto her feet.

Zuko opened the door and walked out and down through the halls, Katara following closely behind him. To her it seemed like their quiet and semi-intimate moment had come and passed all too quickly for her liking.

They emerged outside and everyone turned to see them. Aang appeared to have just landed. He grinned over at Katara, who grinned back at him politely. Aang ran over toward her, although he sent a little glare over toward Zuko before he reached Katara. He was upset that Zuko had found her and that he hadn't.

Aang enveloped Katara in an eager hug and Katara returned it. He wasn't as warm as Zuko, nor as firm or with so many muscles. Aang was rather lanky and scrawny, and he was somewhat soft. But Katara liked hugging him none-the-less.

Zuko watched from the sidelines as they talked and released from their hug. Katara was too preoccupied with Aang that she didn't even glance back at him, not even once.

The same thing had happened in Ba Sing Se, in the crystal catacombs. As soon as Aang had appeared, Katara had instantly left his side and ran to him, embracing him, and not giving Zuko a second thought.

Aang cast a triumphant look back to Zuko, a grin set on his face. Zuko knew what it meant. Aang had won. Aang would always win. It didn't matter what had transpired between Zuko and Katara when they were alone. It would always be forgotten as soon as she laid eyes on Aang.

Zuko admitted grudgingly and angrily to himself that whenever the Avatar was around, he would always come second.

**

* * *

**

The half-moon hung high in the sky, light grey clouds circling around it as its light peered down on the quiet, empty town on Ember Island, casting shadows that stood still. Waiting. Watching.

The Blue Spirit crept from one shop to the next, from when stand to the other, each time getting closer and closer to the shop that held what he would get for Katara.

Finally, when he arrived, the Blue Spirit snuck into the shop easily. He took off the glove on his right hand and lit a fire with his forefinger and middle finger so that he could see. He looked around, moving scrolls, trying to find an advanced water bending scroll for Katara.

He almost sighed in relief when he found one, but caught himself just in time. He picked it up and was about to leave when a thought attacked him from out of the blue, hitting his conscience like a brick thrown at a leaf.

Katara wouldn't want him stealing, even if it was for her. As soon as he handed her the scroll, she would know that he hadn't bought it, that they wouldn't have enough money to buy something like this. She would get angry at him, not talk to him; scold him. She would glare at him and think that he had gone back to his old ways.

No.

Zuko reluctantly placed the scroll back exactly where he had found it. No.

He put the fire out and placed his glove back on.

He was better than this. That was what he tried so hard to prove to everyone, especially Katara. He couldn't let her down now, not when they were progressing so beautifully into a real friendship.

Zuko snuck back out of the shop dejectedly, defeated.

He would just have to think of something else. He had to. He just had to.

No way was he going to let Katara down at all. No way. He would definitely think of something. There was still time.

And Zuko didn't give up that easily, not without a fight.

* * *

**Well, what did you think? I hope you liked it. Originally, I WAS going to have Zuko steal the scroll, but then I thought about it more and decided not to. From the very beginning I was struggling between two options that he could get for Katara, and I've decided on the one that I've felt most strongly about since I first thought of it. But, I'm not telling you what it is. You'll have to wait and find out.**

**Next Chapter: Birthday Disaster**

**You can only imagine what's going to happen. Muwahahaha. Lol.**

**Okay, so, now your favorite part of the ENTIRE story, the part where I talk about myself and how utterly weird and twisted my life is. Haha. Lol. (Just so you know, sarcasm WAS used in that previous sentence. Just letting you know in case you didn't catch on.)**

**So...okay. So, last time I told you about how I like this guy, right? Right? Well.....hm.....I've been dreaming about him a lot. Weird dreams too, not those subtle little hinting dreams where they briefly appear before disappearing. Nope. WEIRD dreams. As in FREAKY. As in I spend the next half hour rethinking about it over and over again, thinking what it could POSSIBLY mean. Until I decided on the possibility that my brain could just be torturing me for its own cruel and sick pleasure.**

**I keep dreaming about him, and it creeps me out when I wake up. I don't dream about us doing anything sick or wrong (ew people, EW!), just doing really weird things or in reallly weird scenarios. It's...well...WEIRD!**

**Sigh.**

**No, I'm not crazy. Yes, I have been to therapy before, but that means nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! YOU HEAR ME?!**

**NOOOOOOOOTHIIIIIIIIINGGGG!!!!**

**Lol. Okay, so, enough about me. It's 11:11 at night right now. I MIGHT start on the next chapter, or I might not. Idk. It depends on how I'm feeling or if I can think of anything good enough to write about. So, I'll talk to you later.**

**Again, hope you liked the chapter and the story so far. I'm already thinking up amazing Avatar stories that I can write, so stay tuned. I'll let you guys know if and when I write another one so you can check it out.**

**Don't forget to review.**

**Ciao darling.**


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